Is There Room in the Inn? Towards Incorporating People with Disability in Tourism Planning
Main Article Content
Keywords
tourism, accessibility, planning
Abstract
Despite the fact that tourism is as much a social right to people with disabilities as it is for the so-called able-bodied people, the former group received little focus worldwide until very recently. Little emphasis has been given to ensuring that people with disabilities have access to tourism facilities despite the fact that they now constitute a substantial market for tourism operators globally. While Zimbabwe’s tourism fortunes are moving in a positive direction, where is the person with disabilities? Has anyone considered them in terms of economic as well as physical access to tourism products? This research endeavoured to explore the state of affairs in Zimbabwe’s tourism sector where accessibility is concerned. The researcher modified the Scandic’s accessibility questionnaire and used it as a checklist for accessibility of hotels and lodges. Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and organisations that represent people with disabilities, were also consulted in the survey. While economic policies are being crafted to bring the country back to its feet, little is being done in providing access to tourism by people with disabilities.
References
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Buhalis D., Michopoulou E., Eichhorn V. & Miller G. (2005). Accessibility market and stakeholder analysis: One-stop-shop for accessible tourism in Europe (OSSATE). Surrey, UK: University of Surrey.
Burnett, J. J., & Bender-Baker, H. (2001). Assessing the travel-related behaviors of the mobility-disabled consumer. Journal of Travel Research, 40(1), 4-11.
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Darcy, S., & Daruwalla, P. (1999). The trouble with travel: People with disabilities and travel. Social Alternatives, 18(1), 41-46.
Darcy, S., Cameron, B., & Pegg, S. (2010). Accessible tourism and sustainability: A discussion and case study. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(4), 515 – 537.
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Eichhorn, V., & Buhalis, D. (2007). The accessibility requiring market in Europe: Socially and economically important. e-Review of Tourism Research, 5 (2), 34-36
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Groschl, S. (2007). An exploration of HR policies and practices affecting the integration of
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Jennings, G. (2001). Tourism research. Sydney: John Wiley & Sons.
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Nicolle, C. & Peters, B. (1999). Elderly and disabled travellers: Intelligent transport systems for persons with disabilities in the hotel industry in major Canadian tourism destinations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26, 666-86.
Oliver, M.(1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. England: Macmillan.
Packer, T., & Carter, M. (2004). Out of the blue! Valuing the disability market in tourism, Report of the 5th National Nican Conference, Perth 20-22 September 2004: Centre for Research into Disability and Society.
Poria, Y., Reichel, A., & Brandt Y. (2010). Dimensions of hotel experience of people with disabilities: An exploratory study. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 3(5),571-591.
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Rains, S. (2004). Universal design and the international travel and hospitality industry. Paper presented at the designing for the 21st Century III, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 7-12 December 2004. Retrieved from http://www.designfor21st.org/proceedings/proceedings/precon_rains.html. Accessed on 12 February 2013
Ray, N.M., & Ryder, M.E. (2003). “Ebilities” tourism: An exploratory discussion of the travel needs and motivations of the mobility-disabled. Tourism Management, 24(1), 57-72.
Ross, G. F. (2004). Ethics, trust and expectations regarding the treatment of disabled staff within a tourism/hospitality industry context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 23(5), 523-544.
Sawyer, A & Bright K. (2006). The access manual: Auditing and managing inclusive built environments, 2nd Edition. Boston: Blackwell Publishers.
Shaw, G., Veitch, C. & Coles, T. (2005) Access, disability, and tourism: Changing responses in the United Kingdom. Tourism Review International 8(3):167-176.
Stumbo, N., & Pegg, S. (2005). Travellers and Tourists with Disabilities: A Matter of Priorities and Loyalties. Tourism Review International 8(3):195-209.
Tourism Australia (2005). Markets - Australian experiences – niche experiences. Retrieved from: http://www.tourism.australia.com/Markets.asp?lang=EN&sub=0338.Accessed 23 December, 2012.
United Nations (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, Final report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities [A/61/611]: United Nations.
United Nations (2009). Enable. Retrieved from: http//www.un.org/disabilities/.Accessed 12 January 2013.
World Health Organization (2007). Global age-friendly cities guide. Switzerland: World Health Organization.
WHO (2002). Towards a common language for functioning disability and Health-ICF. Switzerland: World Health Organisation.
Yates, K. (2007) Understanding the experience of mobility-disabled tourists. International Journal of Tourism Policy 1 (2), 153-166.
Yau, K.S.M., McKercher, B. & Packer, T.L. (2004). Traveling with a disability more than an access issue. Annals of Tourism Research 31 (4), 946-960.
Zeller, J.A. (2008). Wilderness and accessibility. International Journal of Wilderness, 14 (1)
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (2011). Annual tourism statistics. Harare: Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (2013). Tourism trends and statistics report. Harare: Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Statutory instrument 128, 2005, tourism (designated tourist facilities)(grading and standards) regulations, 2005 CAP 14.20. Harare: Government of Zimbabwe.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2004). Disability, Ageing and Careers-Summary of findings (cat No. 4430.0) Canberra, Australia: Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Bricker, J. (1995). Wheelchair accessibility in wilderness areas: The nexus between the ADA and The Wilderness Act. Environmental Law.
Buhalis, D. & Darcy, S. (2011). Accessible tourism concepts and issues, Toronto: Channel View Publications.
Buhalis D., Michopoulou E., Eichhorn V. & Miller G. (2005). Accessibility market and stakeholder analysis: One-stop-shop for accessible tourism in Europe (OSSATE). Surrey, UK: University of Surrey.
Burnett, J. J., & Bender-Baker, H. (2001). Assessing the travel-related behaviors of the mobility-disabled consumer. Journal of Travel Research, 40(1), 4-11.
Cavinato, J., & Cuckovich M. (1992), Transportation and tourism for the disabled: An assessment, Transportation Journal 31(3):46-53.
Choruma T. (2007). The forgotten tribe. London: Progresso.
Connell, R.B.; Jones, M.; Mace, R.; Mueller, J.; Mullick, A.; Ostroff, E.; Stanford, J.; Steinfeld, E.; Story, M. & Vanderheiden, G. (March 14, 2008). Universal design: Applying principles to park settings, participant guide, Telnet Program, National Center on Accessibility: USA.
Darcy, S. & Pegg, S. (2011). Towards strategic intent: Perceptions of disability service provision amongst hotel accommodation managers. International Journal of Hospitality Management 30, 468–476
Darcy, S. (1998). Anxiety to access: Tourism patterns and experiences of New South Wales people with a physical disability. Sydney: Tourism New South Wales.
Darcy, S. (2002). Marginalised participation: Physical disability, high support needs and tourism. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 9(1), 61-72.
Darcy, S. (May 2002). People with disabilities and tourism in Australia: A human rights analysis. In E. Arola, J. Karkkainen & M.-L. Siitari (Eds.). Proceedings of tourism and well being - 2nd tourism industries and education symposium (pp. 137-166). Jyvaskyla, Finland.
Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation information preferences. Tourism Management, 31, 816–826
Darcy, S., & Daruwalla, P. (1999). The trouble with travel: People with disabilities and travel. Social Alternatives, 18(1), 41-46.
Darcy, S., Cameron, B., & Pegg, S. (2010). Accessible tourism and sustainability: A discussion and case study. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(4), 515 – 537.
Daruwalla, P. & Darcy S. (2005). Personal and societal attitudes to disability. Annals of Tourism Research. 32(2):549-570.
Dobriansky, P., Suzman, R. & Hodes, R. (2007). Why population ageing matters; A global perspective. Australia: National Institute on Aging.
Eichhorn, V., & Buhalis, D. (2007). The accessibility requiring market in Europe: Socially and economically important. e-Review of Tourism Research, 5 (2), 34-36
Eichhorn, V., Miller, G., Michopoulou, E. & Buhalis, D. (2008). Enabling access to tourism through information schemes? Annals of Tourism Research, 35 (1), 189-210.
European Network for Accessible Tourism (2011). Improved accessibility – A commercial success for Scandic. United Kingdom: ENAT.
ESCAP (2000, September). Promoting barrier free tourism for people with disabilities. Asia-Pacific conference on tourism for people with disability, Bali, Indonesia.
ESCAP (2001). Leadership and training seminar for persons with a disability. United Nations - economic and social commission for Asia and the Pacific, Vietnam.
Eurostat (2005). Population and social conditions: Perceptual distribution of types of disability by sex and age group. Available at: http//epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int.
Government of Zimbabwe (2002) Disabled Persons Act. Harare: Government of Zimbabwe.
Groschl, S. (2007). An exploration of HR policies and practices affecting the integration of
Harris Interactive research, (2005). Research among adults with disabilities-travel and hospitality. Chicago: Open Doors Organisation.
Jennings, G. (2001). Tourism research. Sydney: John Wiley & Sons.
Khupe, W. (2010). Millions of disabled people struggle to survive. Retrieved from http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/news/36210/15-million-disabled-people-struggle-to-survive.html. Accessed on 23 March 2013.
Khupe, W. (2012) Employment opportunities for disabled persons in NASCOH member organisations (Unpublished master’s thesis). National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe.
Lovelock, B. A. (2010). Planes, trains and wheelchairs in the bush: Attitudes of people with mobility-disabilities to enhanced motorised access in remote natural settings. Tourism Management, 31(3), 357-366.
Mandipa E. (2013 June 13) New constitution disability friendly. The Sunday News. Retrieved from: http://www.chronicle.co.zw/new-constitution-disability-friendly/.
McKrecher, B. & Chan, A. (2005). How special is special interest tourism? Journal of Travel Research. 44 (21) Missouri: Science & Humanities Press.
Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry (2012). Draft tourism policy (Unpublished), Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry: Harare, Zimbabwe.
Nicolle, C. & Peters, B. (1999). Elderly and disabled travellers: Intelligent transport systems for persons with disabilities in the hotel industry in major Canadian tourism destinations. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26, 666-86.
Oliver, M.(1996). Understanding disability: From theory to practice. England: Macmillan.
Packer, T., & Carter, M. (2004). Out of the blue! Valuing the disability market in tourism, Report of the 5th National Nican Conference, Perth 20-22 September 2004: Centre for Research into Disability and Society.
Poria, Y., Reichel, A., & Brandt Y. (2010). Dimensions of hotel experience of people with disabilities: An exploratory study. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 3(5),571-591.
Rains, S. (2007 November) Inclusive tourism; A new strategic alliance for the disability rights movement. The Rolling Rains Report, ICAT 22-24.
Rains, S. (2004). Universal design and the international travel and hospitality industry. Paper presented at the designing for the 21st Century III, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 7-12 December 2004. Retrieved from http://www.designfor21st.org/proceedings/proceedings/precon_rains.html. Accessed on 12 February 2013
Ray, N.M., & Ryder, M.E. (2003). “Ebilities” tourism: An exploratory discussion of the travel needs and motivations of the mobility-disabled. Tourism Management, 24(1), 57-72.
Ross, G. F. (2004). Ethics, trust and expectations regarding the treatment of disabled staff within a tourism/hospitality industry context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 23(5), 523-544.
Sawyer, A & Bright K. (2006). The access manual: Auditing and managing inclusive built environments, 2nd Edition. Boston: Blackwell Publishers.
Shaw, G., Veitch, C. & Coles, T. (2005) Access, disability, and tourism: Changing responses in the United Kingdom. Tourism Review International 8(3):167-176.
Stumbo, N., & Pegg, S. (2005). Travellers and Tourists with Disabilities: A Matter of Priorities and Loyalties. Tourism Review International 8(3):195-209.
Tourism Australia (2005). Markets - Australian experiences – niche experiences. Retrieved from: http://www.tourism.australia.com/Markets.asp?lang=EN&sub=0338.Accessed 23 December, 2012.
United Nations (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, Final report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities [A/61/611]: United Nations.
United Nations (2009). Enable. Retrieved from: http//www.un.org/disabilities/.Accessed 12 January 2013.
World Health Organization (2007). Global age-friendly cities guide. Switzerland: World Health Organization.
WHO (2002). Towards a common language for functioning disability and Health-ICF. Switzerland: World Health Organisation.
Yates, K. (2007) Understanding the experience of mobility-disabled tourists. International Journal of Tourism Policy 1 (2), 153-166.
Yau, K.S.M., McKercher, B. & Packer, T.L. (2004). Traveling with a disability more than an access issue. Annals of Tourism Research 31 (4), 946-960.
Zeller, J.A. (2008). Wilderness and accessibility. International Journal of Wilderness, 14 (1)
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (2011). Annual tourism statistics. Harare: Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (2013). Tourism trends and statistics report. Harare: Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Statutory instrument 128, 2005, tourism (designated tourist facilities)(grading and standards) regulations, 2005 CAP 14.20. Harare: Government of Zimbabwe.
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Published
Sep 15, 2015
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Research Articles and Essays
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Author Biography
Oliver Chikuta, Lecturer, Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Midlands State University
Oliver Chikuta is a lecturer in the department of tourism and hospitality management at Midlands State University in Zimbabwe. He is a PhD student at North West University in South Africa and his research interests are in accessible tourism, destination marketing and services marketing. He is recipient of the Outstanding Dissertation Award at the 7th World Conference on Graduate Research in Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure held in Istanbul, Turkey in June of 2014. His presentation was titled, “The Development of a Universal Accessibility Framework for National Parks in Zimbabwe and South Africa.”